Trees to the Skies : (Die Bäume zum Himmel) : Giant Wishing Trees
"Trees to the Skies" is a land art project that transforms an urban forest into a place of wonder and hope. Many mature ash, birch, and maple trees are wrapped from the base to the fork in colorful fabric and become giant wishing trees. Visitors are invited to hug the colorful trees, make a wish, and wander around the magical art trail to explore the forest and reconnect with nature.
Local
Germany
Municipality 13 and St. Emmeram biotope on Isar Island between the Isar Canal and the River Isar in northeast Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
2021-11-14
As an individual
First name: Penelope Last name: Richardson Gender: Female Nationality: Australia Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Erkweg 9 Town: Munich Postal code: 81927 Country: Germany Direct Tel:+49 176 78752266 E-mail:penelope.richardson@gmail.com Website:https://peneloperichardson.com
URL:https://instagram.com/penrichart Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): Instagram @penrichart #peneloperichardson #funlifeart
“Trees to the Skies” was a large-scale temporary land art project to create giant wishing trees in a forest biotope and public nature reserve along the Isar River near St. Emmeram, northeast on the outskirts of Munich. My project specifically aimed to give people a reason to come outside, reconnect with nature, and experience the magic in nature after all the Corona lockdowns. It consisted of a 2-kilometer art trail in the local forest made up of 9 giant trees wrapped in colored fabric to become wishing trees. From mid-September to mid-November 2021 people could visit the artwork day and night.
Nine tall birch and ash trees in the 'Y' form of divining rods were transformed into giant wishing trees. Each tree had distinctive forking which was wrapped to a height of 9 -12 meters with red and orange colored ecological jute fabric. The fabric covered each tree from its base to 1.5 meters above the fork to turn them into wishing trees. The selected trees were spread throughout the forest biotope and park to create an art trail experience to allow people to appreciate the shape of the trees, look up into the sky and feel the magic of the forest. And, if they wanted, visitors could hug the trees and make a wish.
The audience was park visitors, leisure visitors, families and children from district 13, cyclists, walkers, art enthusiasts, and dogs.
The artwork was open to the public around the clock - 24/7 - for all park visitors - day and night.
The start location was accessible by public transport and city bike paths. The art path was located around existing, easy-to-navigate public walkways to allow access to everyone on foot, bike, or in wheelchairs.
A regular number of artist walks were also arranged with up to 30 people attending each time.
It was supported by the local chapter of the Munich City Council and the Bavarian Ministry of Science and Culture through the ‘Bayern Spielt: Kunst für uns’ Program to create art in public places.
Connection with nature through art
Wonder of nature
Open for everyone and their dogs
Outdoor art experience
Revaluing forgotten city places
This project sought to introduce people to the idea of the sustainability of public nature areas by creating a direct experience that was emotional, physical, and thought-provoking for visitors while they connect with nature. It invited people outdoors and gave them a chance to experience nature in a new way and to find out what the value of public green space means to them. This project is exemplary in its use of art to assist people to have a new experience in the forest and feel connected enough to be interested in its sustainability.
Munich has a growing population which puts pressure on green spaces used for leisure, sport, relaxation, and regeneration. Using land art as a catalyst, this project highlighted the value of this particular park for the local community in northeast Munich. It also raised questions among the visitors about how to maintain a healthy park, for themselves and the small animals that live in the forest. In this part of the park, people are allowed to make fires and barbecues, meaning they often collect wood for fires which threatens the biotope. Questions about how to create sustainable systems for use of the area became part of the general discussion. The land art project lead to a new appreciation for the area.
Wrapping trees in brightly colored fabric made them stand out from the forest and allowed people to see the rest of the forest more clearly. "Trees to the Skies" encouraged people to look up and see the crowns of the trees. This brought focus on the state of some of the trees experiencing die-back, especially the Ash trees which are contaminated by an invasive fungus. The state of the forest became a strong point of discussion amongst the visitors. During the artist talks, I answered questions about the trees and told people about the reason for the dieback. I also talked about the management programs the City of Munich has in place, which I learned about from the City foresters.
"Trees to the Skies" is exemplary in its simplicity, emotional impact, and ability to open the imagination and to reconnect with nature. It follows a tradition of fairy tales and myths and the emotional connection to nature we have as humans. My trees became 'wishing trees', based on the 'Y' form of a divining rod. I aimed for the project to inspire positive thinking about the forest. Instead of creating a scary, dark, and foreboding place often depicted in fairytales, my forest became a magical place that appealed to the playful part of ourselves whether young or old. The bright colored red and orange textiles contrasted with the forest green and highlighted the beautiful structures of the tree trunks and their majesty. The color became an emotional element for many people and as the seasons slowly changed from Summer to Fall people came back regularly to see the trees. During the seven weeks the project was visible I found people meditating or practicing yoga under some of the trees. Dog walkers would tell me that they make the art path part of their daily route. A pair of trees that crossed over to form a sort of gateway became a favorite spot for joggers to rest for a moment. Small children could be seen hugging the trees like teddy bears. School teachers brought their students into the park to do their own land art projects inspired by the trees.
My projects have a strong focus on the quality of experience for the viewer so I seek to create aesthetic and powerful emotional effects in a simple way. In this case, the trees were wrapped in multiple 10 m lengths of colored hessian fabric. The long lengths wound around the tree like a bandage and were fixed together using hand-made needles carved from green twigs found on the forest floor. A professional tree-climbing company assisted in wrapping the trees and identifying the animal, bat, and bird habitats so we didn't harm anything with the project.
A key aspect of this project was that it was open to everyone. Like nature, that is for everyone, I wanted anyone whether young or old to be able to access this art experience and connect and reconnect with nature. The audience was park visitors, leisure visitors, families and children from district 13, cyclists, walkers, art enthusiasts, and dogs. I also had people contact me who had traveled from Salzburg and Dülmen to see the project.
The design principle for accessibility was to locate the project in a public nature area 8 kilometers from the city center in a place that received little focus from artists in the past. It was accessible from the inner city by foot, bike, and public transport. St. Emmeram is a historical area that was once rural on the edge of Munich. It is located on an old salt trading route. I chose it because it’s my area, it's beautiful, has a biotope and it’s a place close to the city on a small island between the Isar Canal and the River Isar.
"Trees to the skies" was accessible to everyone and free to enter 24 hours a day. Being located on already marked paths it was easy to find, safe to walk around, and accessible for people in wheelchairs. A central concept was to give everyone access to art and an art experience without any barriers.
"Trees to the Skies" became a talking point and location to visit by many people in the community. Everyone was making wishes or finding their dreams and concentrating on their hopes for the future while also reconnecting with nature. During the period it was installed I was down at the trees most days checking them, replenishing information maps, or giving artist walks, many people said to me they wanted the trees to stay permanently. They felt they benefited from the project because they wanted to spend more time in the park. They felt safer. They discovered new parts of the park by following the art trail. Local newspapers and the citizens from the Northeast wrote about the project in their annual publications.
This project was an artist's initiative and was devised specially for the St. Emmeram part of Munich because it is a little-known part of the city and an area that doesn't receive much focus as a location for art. I wanted to bind art and nature. The project was supported at a local level by Area 13 group from the
Munich City local council and at a regional level by the Bavarian Ministry of Science and Culture program "Bayern Spielt. Kunst for uns" that funds for temporary art projects in public places in the region. This project was also supported at a consultation level by the BBK Bayern (National Association of Visual Artists). The added value of their engagement was that my application was successful and the project could be carried out as it was conceived, the technical support and public communications could be paid for, and the artist received a small fee for the production of the artwork.
The knowledge fields that fed into this project range from contemporary visual art, land art, tree experts, local agencies and departments, suppliers of materials, and other creatives such as a photographer, a filmmaker, graphic designers, and communications experts.
The main key crossover was between the disciplines of visual art and the tree experts. The artist consulted with the tree experts regarding how to wrap the trees, how to protect the wildlife and the trees and to discuss non-invasive methods for carrying out the tree wrapping. A consultation was also carried out with the Forestry Department in regard to locating the project and selecting the trees. Their input helped define the parameters of the final project.
This project follows in the footsteps of other land art projects which make small or big temporary interventions in nature. The use of wrapping as a way to highlight the essence of an object, piece of architecture, or nature, was initially begun by Christo and Jean Claude. This project follows this lineage on a small scale.
A key aspect of this project was not to harm the environment in the process of making the project. Everything had to be easy to dismantle and recycle. The artist sourced a local supplier of organic jute textile which was colored using organic dyes. The fabric was collected and stored after the project to be used again.
The central person and driver to all these interactions across the disciplines was the artist / project initiator.
The results of the project were over 2000 visitors in 7 weeks, who received a sense of wonder in art and connected or reconnected with nature. Another result was a greater appreciation of the St. Emmeram biotope nature area, and a growth in understanding of the problem of Ash dieback in local forests.
The direct beneficiaries of the project were visitors to the park, from young children and families to bike riders and older people.
Indirect beneficiaries were the students and kindergarten groups whose teachers used the project as a jumping-off point for teaching about nature, sustainability, and land art.
This project is Innovative because it transformed an urban forest into a place of wonder and magic for 7 weeks allowing people to reconnect with the park and nature in a new way. People loved the colorful trees. The art installation spoke to people emotionally, in a spirit of fun and the wonder of nature. Some comments collected by the artist are:
"This project speaks from my soul" (woman and her friend).
"We often come to hug the trees and have also invited our friends and family" (family man on his bicycle)
"This path is now my favorite way to get to work. I am happy about the colors" (commuter).
"I have seen several school classes here, they were also doing land art in the park" (visitor on a guided tour)
"Please, leave the trees for a long time" (woman with dog).
"What do these trees mean?" (Sebastian, 4, who later led his kindergarten group to the trees)
"It is now my special dog walking route” (dog walker)
and "My son has been here several times with his school. I know my son loves these trees even if he can't express it. They all find the colorful trees very inspiring.” (mother of a disabled teenage son)
I used an experiential methodology with the aim to create a visual and emotional experience that invites a connecting with nature. Central are the location, the use of color, the natural materials, and the forms found in nature. I was able to bring more focus to the transformative aspect of the installation by using a known location that visitors may have already experienced in a 'normal' way. Care for the forest and the visitors were central to the project development. Consultation with tree experts was important to know the maximum length of time it was safe to wrap the trees. Keeping it simple - both in the materials used and the intervention is part of my approach to invite people to reconnect with nature.
This whole project is replicable and transferrable. It can be transferred to any urban park, forest, wild place, or similar area where forked trees are found and where a city or community wants to create a magical art trail and invite people to reconnect with nature. As the key idea is to transform normal trees into wishing trees that look like giant divining rods, the trees need to create forks in their branches - such as Birch, Ash, or Maple trees.
The project is scalable from 9 trees to as many trees as the project budget can afford. It can be located in a small area or extend across a territory to create links between them. For example, interest in the project has been expressed in Dülmen, a small city in northern Germany, to create an art trail through the trees connecting the urban city park with the forest around the city center and onto the deer park to the north.
The technology required to wrap the trees is the manual expertise of tree climbers and tree doctors. In some situations using a mechanical lift to reach the height of the trees would be possible. Safety and expertise are issues to consider when wrapping the trees. Also creating an effective time frame for the installation of the artwork. We wrapped nine 9-12 meter high trees in two days 60-80 meters of fabric per tree. But if trees are taller and thicker it would take longer and use more fabric.
The most effective method of wrapping required the fabric to be around 30 cm in width as it creates a stronger bandage effect and stays on the trees for up to 7 weeks. When using a wider fabric (50cm) it was more sensitive to wind and weather and prone to unwrap from the tree trunks. A tightly woven fabric was more stable and long-lasting than a loosely spun one and the magical effect lasted longer.
Asking people to make a wish and hug a tree is very impactful. Bringing our wishes and desires to the surface makes them more tangible to us. And when things become tangible, it is possible to discuss them and find concrete solutions or answers. As this project brought focus to an urban park it also highlighted what is required for its survival and sustainability, and gave people an experience of what is required for them to reconnect to nature.
Like many urban centers in Europe, Munich has a growing population which puts pressure on green spaces used for leisure, sport, relaxation, and regeneration. This land art project highlighted at a local level the value of this particular park for the local and wider community of Munich. Art helped focus on the wonders of nature and its ability to regenerate the soul, assisting in maintaining positive mental health and public health, which is a global theme. Questions about how to create sustainable local areas that are This land art project showed on a local level the value of nature and how art can engage people with the bigger benefits of being in nature.
